My invention is to an improved positioning device for the radioactive treatment of cervical cancer. It is known to apply radiation from, for example, a radioactive caesium source to the malignant tumors. The application of the caesium source is through the positioning of the caesium in an ovoid of a plastic material. The ovoids serve to make sure that the caesium source does not get too close to tissues and thus the ovoid aids in avoiding burning or damaging the tissue. These ovoids essentially perform the function of properly spacing the radioactive source from the tissues to be radiated.
However, positioning the ovoids and holding them in position has posed certain problems. Essentially, the problem is that the mechanism for holding the ovoids has to be inserted into the patient together with the ovoids. As a consequence, the positioning mechanism has to be flexible and adaptable to be inserted into the patient and yet have characteristics which will permit it to hold the ovoids in position during the treatment.
Since the treatment period may run for approximately 48 hours, the positioning mechanism has to hold the ovoids in a desired location while the patient is mobile.
Accordingly, it is a major purpose of this invention to provide a positioning mechanism for the radioactive containing ovoids that are employed in the radioactive treatment of cervical cancer.
It is a related purpose of this invention to provide such a positioning device as can readily be inserted into the patient, can hold the ovoids in position for a period of time while the patient is mobile and is sufficiently conformable so that the patient does not react adversely to the positioning device.
It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a positioning device that will permit checking the position of the ovoids before the radioactive caesium tipped rods are inserted up into the ovoids.